


NYC's Gram-Gram

by talitha_koum2c479



Series: #WheresSpidey? [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: But Wait There's More!, Featuring NYC's Gram-Gram, Gen, Helping old ladies, Peter is a sweetheart, Phyllis is a grandmotherly figure, Tony is too late, and chocolate chip cookies, anyone good at darts?, out for the count, who's under the mask?, worried Aunt May
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:22:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25369804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talitha_koum2c479/pseuds/talitha_koum2c479
Summary: After extensive investigations, Mrs. Phyllis Jennings is discovered to have been the last person to see Spiderman alive.  Here's what she remembers.Also, a first glimpse at Peter's disappearance.
Series: #WheresSpidey? [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1827892
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	NYC's Gram-Gram

**Author's Note:**

> IMPORTANT: Read the notes at the end of the chapter and leave your comment to vote on the next chapter to be released in the #WheresSpidey series! 
> 
> Hey there! So, in the first story we learn that Peter has, somehow, disappeared. You also met NYC’s resident Gram-Gram, and I’m excited to expand a little on her character here. You may be wondering, what happened to Peter? Why did he disappear? Did he get injured? Kidnapped? Killed? This story will _begin_ to answer some of these questions. So, sit back, grab a cookie with Gram-Gram, and tune in as we continue to investigate the disappearance of our favorite local vigilante, Spiderman.
> 
> This chapters includes some lines quoted from Captain America: Civil War. Those lines are not mine. Nor are the characters, particularly Spiderman/Peter Parker and Tony Stark. 
> 
> Please note: right now, I have no beta. I do spend a bit of time editing my own work (this chapter alone has been in the works for three weeks now), but any and all mistakes are still my own. Hopefully those errors are few and far between! Feel free to let me know if you see any errors, especially mistakes in my html codes/formatting and I’ll do my best to edit this and future stories.

Peter was preparing to swing home early, knowing he had a AP Psych exam to study for, when he saw Phyllis Jennings. She was struggling to carry a bag of groceries in one hand while using her cane in the other hand up the stairs into her house. He could hear her muttering to herself the whole way, "Just a couple more bags, Phyllis, then you can sit down and watch Wheel of Fortune. Can't let the chocolate ice cream melt, anyway. Jeffery would be so disappointed if he visited this weekend and found Gram-Gram didn't have any ice cream." 

Peter grinned under the mask as he swung gracefully down to the street. "Ma'am? Would you like some help carrying that bag?" 

Phyllis slowly shuffled to the left, craning her neck to see who had spoken. "Why, Spiderman, as I live and breathe!" she said. "I must say, that's mighty kind of you, young man! Thank you very much."

Peter hurried to join her on the steps and carefully took the bag out of her hands. He held it against his hip with his left hand and offered Phyllis his right hand. "Lead the way!"

Phyllis turned her attention back to the stairs. "Thank you, Spiderman. My name is Phyllis, Phyllis Jennings. I must say, Jeffery will be so jealous when he comes over this weekend and hears that his Gram-Gram met Spiderman. Jeffery is my grandson, he just turned 8 this last February. Growing like a weed, too, that one is. He's almost taller than his cousin, Jackson, and Jackson is a full two years older! Jackson lives with his Mama out in Arizona, though. Can't figure out what came over my daughter to move to the Arizona desert, but she did..." Phyllis continued talking as they made their way into her house.

Peter followed Phyllis through a living room. The home was cozy, with a comfortable looking sofa, a small bookshelf, and a little television in the corner. A small white cat with a couple brown stripes eyed him suspiciously from his spot on the sofa, then jumped down to follow Peter into the kitchen. "Don't mind Sylvester, he won't bite you, but he'll probably sniff you a bit. Watch out for his claws, though. He don't mean any harm, but he'll knead your suit to shreds if you let him get comfy."

Peter smiled, "Sylvester's a great name. Hi there, bud! Nice to meet you!"

Peter gently placed the bag on the kitchen counter. Phyllis started unpacking a tub of ice cream and some other cold ingredients, the items landing on the counter with soft thuds. "Son, would you mind helping me out with a couple more bags? They're in my car, right in front of the house, and it would be so helpful on my poor knees if you would kindly carry them in here for me. I'm sure I have some cookies I could give you when you're done, if you'd like."

"Of course, Mrs. Jennings!" Peter said. "It'll only take a moment!" Peter made his way back out to the little blue car and picked up two of the remaining three bags. Less than twenty minutes later, Phyllis' car was emptied and locked, all the groceries were placed in the kitchen, and Peter had finished helping Phyllis unload the bags and put items away.

"Come, come now, Spiderman. Take a breather there on the couch and I'll find you those chocolate chip cookies. The trick is to put them in the microwave for a couple seconds so they're all warm and the chocolate has a chance to melt. They'll taste like they've just come out of the oven."

Peter took his seat on the couch and Sylvester immediately jumped onto the cushion next to him. The cat placed his front paws on Peter's hip and sniffed at the Spiderman mask cautiously, then meowed loudly directly in his face. "Well look at you, all curious!" Peter laughed. "Mrs. Jennings, how long have you had Sylvester?"

Phyllis hummed. "Call me Phyllis, dear, or Gram-Gram. Mrs. Jennings makes me feel so old. I say you're only as old as you feel, and I still feel pretty darn young, excluding these old knees of mine. Let's see, you asked about Sylvester. I suppose I must have gotten him three years ago. He was supposed to be a Christmas present from Lisa, that's my daughter-in-law, to my grandson Jeffrey. Unfortunately, then we found out that Jeffrey is allergic to cats. Who would have thought? So, I brought Sylvester here, and now Jeffrey visits his cat whenever he visits me. I've got a bottle of allergy medicine for him in the bathroom cabinet. Now look here, these cookies are made using my secret recipe. I invented it myself, I guarantee they'll be the best cookies you've ever tasted. Melt right in your mouth. Filled with sugar, of course, and butter, and a couple secret ingredients that help make the cookies stay soft and moist longer."

Peter laughed and pulled his mask up over his mouth. "Thank you very much, Phyllis. These look delicious." Peter took a bite and gasped. "Whoa, Phyllis! These are amazing! I have never had cookies like these before. My Aunt tries to make cookies sometimes, but she always messes up the batter or forgets ingredients or burns the cookies. She would die if she could taste one of these! She never lets me in the kitchen, so I don't have a lot of experience cooking or baking, but I bet if I learned how to make cookies like these, she'd change her mind."

"Take a couple home, I'll make you a bag. And if you come back to help me with the groceries in two weeks, I'll teach you how to make these cookies and share my secret ingredient with you. Jeffrey will be so jealous, you're here sitting on my couch and eating my cookies, and he’ll be ecstatic when he hears about this. Like I said, my grandson loves Spiderman, he keeps an eye out on the news for more stories about his favorite hero."

"Oh! I have an idea!" Peter said. “Do you have a Stark Phone?”

Phyllis grabbed her phone out of her purse and passed it to Peter. He turned on the camera and recorded a short video of himself. “Hey Jeffrey! Spiderman here! Your grandmother has told me you’re a huge fan! She invited me to come learn how to bake cookies in a couple weeks, maybe you could come too! You’re lucky you have such an awesome grandma! I hope you’re working hard in school and making lots of friends! Don’t forget, you can be a superhero too! Always be kind to your family and friends! I hope to see you someday soon!”

Phyllis had tears in her eyes as she took her phone back from Peter. “He’ll absolutely adore this. Thank you, Spiderman.”

“Of course!” Peter said cheerfully. “Anything else I can do for you while I’m here?”

Phyllis studied Peter's mask thoughtfully. "Tell me, Spiderman, why do you do all of this?" 

The eyes of Peter's mask squinted a little. "You mean, why am I a superhero?" 

"Well, no, not quite. I've just been thinking, ever since Jeffrey fell in love with Spiderman... Iron Man has his suit, Captain America has his super serum, Thor is a god... all the other superheroes have amazing powers, just like you. But you don't see them helping little old me with my groceries. You could be an Avenger, you could be choosing to fight only super villains, aliens, the worst of the worst, but you go out every day and help people with the smallest of tasks. I don't understand why, but I'd like to understand. Why do you help old ladies like me with our groceries? Why do you take the time to help cats out of trees, or help someone with engine trouble, or help paint a fence?" 

Peter sat back, understanding the question. He had been asked it a lot. He thought back to the first time he had been asked that question. 

> "Because I've been me my whole life, and I've had these powers for six months. I read books, I build computers. And yeah, I would love to play football, but I couldn't then so I shouldn't now."
> 
> "Sure, cuz you're different," Tony said.
> 
> "Exactly. But I can't tell anyone that, so I'm not," there was a brief moment of silence before Peter continued. "Look, when you can do the things that I can, but you don't, and then the bad things happen, they happen because of you."
> 
> "So you want to look out for the little guy, you wanna do your part, make the world a better place, all that right?"
> 
> "Yeah, yeah just looking out for the little guy. That's what it is," Peter sighed a quiet breath of relief, grateful that Tony seemed content with leaving it at that.

Peter knew the answer he had given Tony was true, but he also knew that Phyllis would appreciate a little bit more. "A wise man I knew taught me that when you have the power to do something, you have the responsibility to do it. I haven't had these powers forever. Before I had these powers, I had the ability to help people cross the street, or lift heavy things, or climb trees to rescue cats--all of the things you've mentioned. And I tried to do those random acts of kindness then, but I didn't have a suit or a mask or superpowers or a fancy superhero name, like Spiderman. So what I was doing, it wasn't news, no one really knew about it, and no one... no one really remembered. Which is fine, I wasn't doing it for attention then, I was doing it because it was right. Then I got these powers, and the mask and the suit and the superhero name, and yes, it's been _amazing_ to be this strong and to be able to swing through skyscrapers, but underneath the mask I'm still me, even if no one knows my true identity. I'm not so special or so powerful that carrying groceries is now... beneath me. Besides, yeah, I _could_ focus on the big events, but that's not the only way I can help people. That wise man I was talking about, he taught me even the smallest acts of kindness can be heroic and meaningful to others. So I want to honor him, and the lessons he taught me, and I want to be there even when there's no big villain to fight. Because maybe I'm not saving the whole world all of the time, but I can at least try to help other people by saving tiny pieces of their worlds and giving them a little hope, every day."

The two sat in companionable silence, thinking about his words. "That was kind of a rambling mess, so I don't know if it makes sense, but... it's the truth." Peter eventually shrugged.

Phyllis laughed. "It made sense enough. You help others because you can and because it's right."

Peter scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess. That makes it sound so simple, when you put it like that."

“Well I, for one, admire you and the things you do. If you’re offering, there are a couple tasks I’ve been needing to get done. The kitchen sink is a little leaky, and I want to hang some pictures of Richard up on the wall.”

Peter saluted. “Aye, aye, Phyllis! Lead the way!”

Phyllis led Peter into the kitchen, and within the hour he had managed to fix the sink (quite a feat, considering he had absolutely no plumbing experience) and had hung up some pictures of not only Richard but her grandchildren as well. Phyllis was incredibly grateful and handed Peter a large bag of cookies to take home. “Now don’t forget, put them in the microwave to soften them up and melt the chocolate!”

"Thanks, Gram-Gram! I'm looking forward to coming back in a couple weeks to help with those groceries and learn how to make those cookies!" Peter called as he walked out the front door and waved goodbye to Phyllis. He shot a web at a nearby apartment building and started swinging home.

"Peter," Karen said, "You have four unread text messages from Aunt May and a missed phone call from Mr. Stark."

"Thanks, Karen. Do me a favor, have Mr. Stark send a package to Phyllis Jennings' house. Include some Spiderman toys and clothes for her grandson. I think Jeffrey is 8? Oh! Take one of the signed posters I give out at the hospitals. I bet he'd love that. Maybe throw in some Iron Man stuff as well, just for fun. Include a note for Jeffrey that says, "Hi Jeffrey! Thanks for being such a big fan of Spiderman! I can't wait to someday visit you and your Gram-Gram and make cookies together! From, Spiderman."

"Done," said Karen. "You have just received another text from Aunt May."

"Read me the texts," Peter said.

"From Aunt May 3:36pm: Hey Peter, I got off work a little early today, how does eating out sound? I'm thinking Thai. I'll see you when you get home. Be safe."

"From Aunt May 6:16pm: Executive decision: we're eating Thai. We'll head out when you get home, maybe get some ice cream after?"

"From Aunt May 7:14pm: I'm starving Peter, can't wait for you to get home so I'm ordering delivery, it'll be here when you arrive. See you soon!"

"From Aunt May 7:54pm: Peter, you agreed to be home by 7:30 today, where are you? I'm getting a little worried."

"From Aunt May 8:07pm: Peter, you better respond in the next five minutes or I will call Tony and have him track your suit."

"Karen, send a reply to Aunt May. Tell her I'm on my way home and should be there in--that's not good. Karen, scan the area. Any threats nearby?"

Peter's spidey sense was quickly growing. Something was wrong. He swung himself on the roof of a tall church and crouched down, surveying the area. "Message sent," Karen said. "Scanning area now."

"Wait what?" Peter said. "Karen, read the last message sent to Aunt May."

"Last text sent to Aunt May reads: I'm on my way home and should be there in--that's not good. Karen, scan the area. Any threats nearby?"

"No!" Peter huffed. "She's going to be so worried when she reads that."

"Incoming call from Aunt May."

"Don't answer!"

"Scan complete. There appears to be three unidentified people in the white van to your right. They possess some unusual weapons and technology."

Peter frowned. "Well, Karen, it sounds like some bad guys. We better go say hi."

"Incoming call from Tony Stark."

"Don't answer that call either, Karen!" Peter said, crawling down the side of the church into a dark alley. His spidey sense continued to grow.

"I'm sorry, Peter, Tony is engaging the Don't You Dare Ignore Me protocol. He is pushing the call through anyway.”

"Peter, explain to me why May just called me to yell at me because you're almost an hour late home from patrol?"

"Mr. Stark, I can't talk right now! Besides, it’s closer to half an hour anyway. I've got bad guys to catch, and I’ll be on my way in a couple minutes."

"No, you better take a step back and listen, buddy. Bad guys can wait, it's time for spider babies to go eat their dinner with their scary aunts so that I don't get scolded or yelled at anymore."

Peter ignored Mr. Stark. He had reached the bottom of the church and was now hiding in the shadows of the alley, trying to get a view of the van. It was gone. "Karen, where did the van go?"

Before Karen could answer, his spidey senses screamed. Something came flying at his neck. He raised a hand and caught it, recognizing it as a dart. "Who still uses darts?" he muttered.

"Darts? Peter, is someone shooting at you with darts?" Tony demanded.

A second dart sped toward Peter, and he caught it. "Mr. Stark, I really, seriously can't talk now!"

A third. And a fourth. Peter caught them both but failed to catch the fifth one before it jammed itself in his thigh. "Uh oh."

"What do you mean, 'uh oh'? That's it, I'm looking up your location and I'm coming to pick you up. Did you just get shot with a dart?"

"Everything looks fuzzy. Am I spinning?" Peter pulled the dart out of his thigh. He was already beginning to feel the effects of whatever drug had been laced on the dart.

"Shit, kid, get out of there. Now. Run, swing, whatever it takes. I'm ten minutes out."

"Sorry, Mr. Stark, everything feels... l think..." Peter stumbled and leaned heavily on the sturdy, brick wall of the church. "Just need a minute..." Peter fell to the ground.

"Peter! Peter, get up now! That's an order! Do as I say and go! FRIDAY, connect with Karen, have her give me a visual. And keep tracking his suit, dammit." Tony's voice came sharp through his mask, but Peter felt too tired and lethargic to obey.

Tony watched in horror as FRIDAY projected the visual from Peter's suit. The image showed a close-up of the ground, with the wheels of a large dumpster close to the camera. Peter was clearly laying on his side in an alley. One hand came into view, stretching and pushing against the ground as he tried to stand up. The sound of heavy footsteps played over the speakers, crunching against pebbles and broken glass in the alley. Two large boots took over the screen, then paused.

"Oh, hey, Mr. Stark," Peter mumbled, watching a blurry figure come toward him. "Could use a little help."

"Peter, that is not me. You need to listen to me, get up and run."

Peter merely groaned weakly in response. He tried turning his hand and pushed the button of his webshooter but couldn’t aim at the threat properly. The web stuck to the side of the dumpster. Two gloved hands game into view, carefully removing Peter's webshooters, first on the right hand, then on his left. The webshooters were unceremoniously dropped on the ground before the boots came into view, stomping on them several times. Tony heard a crunch as the webshooters broke. The boots moved out of sight. Hands reached down in front of the camera and lifted the mask off Peter's face. The camera briefly disconnected, but within moments the visual returned. The new image featured Peter, unmasked and hair askew, eyes closed and face pale.

"Peter can't come to the phone right now," an unfamiliar voice said, coming from the microphone in Peter's mask. Tony cursed, realizing what had happened. Someone was wearing Peter's mask.

"Who is this?" Tony demanded.

"Tsk, would you look at that. Someone seems to have fallen asleep on the job," the voice chided. It was true. Peter's chest was slowly rising and falling, proving he was still alive, but he was otherwise completely still and limp on the ground. Whatever drug that had been used was clearly fast-acting and extremely powerful, considering how fast it had knocked out Peter with his Spider mutations so quickly. "Don't worry, we'll take care of him."

"Leave Spiderman alone, or I swear I will hunt you down."

“Relax, Peter is in good hands. We have so much to talk about together. I’ll send him your regards.”

The man took off the mask and threw it to the side before Tony could respond. The visual and audio from Peter's suit was disconnected. Tony continued his flight until he reached the church just five minutes later, then hurried to the alley. There was the dumpster, and there were a couple of the darts that Peter must have caught.

The next sight made his blood boil. The Spiderman suit lay emptied and crumpled on the ground, the mask just a couple feet away. Peter's webshooters were crushed and broken where they had been stomped upon. A bag of cookies lay scattered and smashed on the ground where they had fallen. Peter himself was nowhere to be seen.

**Author's Note:**

> So there you have it! I hope you love Gram-Gram as much as I do! I'm hoping and planning to come out with more stories including Gram-Gram in the future--but for now, we're going to give her a break and move on to some other characters! 
> 
> Before we do that, fun note for the investigators and detectives reading this story: There is _at least one_ hint (which means there's actually more than one) in this story that will become important later on, if you feel like investigating the mystery yourself. In fact, I'm all about those clues, red herrings, and foreshadowing, so I invite you to share your predictions as we delve deeper into the #WheresSpidey? series in future stories! Let me know if you think you've found one from this story in the comments! ;) 
> 
> I know, I know, I know, we all want to know already, WHAT HAPPENED to Peter? So first things first, I have to be honest: I, myself, only found out what happened to Peter two days ago--after writing NYC Gram-Gram and @SpiderWatch, a second story based on MJ and Ned (currently unposted). It was important that you read this first, because we do get our first glimpse of Peter's disappearance at the end. However, after much internal debate, I'll let you choose which story you want next in the comments! On July 22, check out the #WheresSpidey series page and I'll announce the winner! 
> 
> The next chapter will either be: 
> 
> 1\. Currently Untitled: Peter wakes up and comes face-to-face with his captors for the first time. This will be a multi-chapter fic spanning the entirety of the time of Peter's disappearance from Peter's perspective, and gee, guys, once I figured out where Peter is, why he was taken, and a basic outline of what happens to him... I'm just really excited ya'll! I need a couple more days to come up with the official title. If this story wins, the title will be officially unveiled on July 22, 2020!  
> 2\. @SpiderWatch: MJ and Ned assist in the search for Peter and Spiderman after his kidnapping. This will also be a multi-chapter fic, this one spanning the time of Peter's disappearance from the perspective of MJ and Ned. I absolutely adore both Ned and MJ, and I had a blast writing this first chapter. It features a couple stories from OC's about how Spiderman has heroically served his community, and some challenging words from MJ! 
> 
> It's up to you! I do have a guess as to which one will win out, but the decision can be swayed at any point by you readers between now and July 22. Both are nearly finished, so with some minor edits over the next few days, it'll be ready to post! Leave your comments and kudos below! Talitha out!


End file.
